Combined brassiere and girdle.



B. & H. PRINCE.

COMBINED BRASSIERE AND GIRDLE.

APPLICATION FILED 0.9.1925.

1,212,677. Patented Jan. 16,1917.

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COMB-INED BRASSIERE AND GIHDLE. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 9. 1915.

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Patented Jan. 16, 1917.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BIANCA PRINCE AND HENRIETTA PRINCE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

COMBINED BRASSIERE AND GIRDLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 16, 1917.

' Application filed December 9, 1915. Serial No. 65,885.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, BIANCA PRINCE and HENRIETTA PRINCE, citizens of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Combined Brassieres and Girdles, of which ,the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a garment which essentially includes a brassiere for supporting the breast of a woman, and a girdle forming a permanent contiguous extension or fixture of the lower portion of the brassiere, for drawing or looping across the hips and over the thighs.

The object of the invention is to provide a substitute for a corset, designed to permit entire freedom of motion, and it is so constructed as to preserve the appearance or contour of the figure.

The garment is particularly adapted for all sports, and being tight fitting to the figure it will avoid harmful effects during the most strenuous or vigorous exercise.

The novel features of the invention are more fully described in the following specification and claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 represents a front elevation of a garment embodying this invention. Fig. 2 is a rear v ew of the same. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view showing the inner pore tion of the back. Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken along the line 6 6 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a similar section taken along the line 7 .7 of Fig. 3.

In the accompanying drawings is shown a garment consisting of a brassiere having a neck portion a a yoke b with armholes c, including front and rear body sections (Z and (1 respectively exten ding to the waist of a figure. The yoke 7) is provided with strips 6 formed of elastic webbing to set over the shoulderblades of a figure and permit free arm'move5 ment.

An opening 7 extends from the' neck to the lowerv front portion of the gar'mentand the opening is preferably held closed by means of hook and eye fasteners. Each side of the opening is constructed of a strip of material 1 having anintegral lower exten-v sion h. The extended portion below the waist line of the brassiere constitutes a girdle with front side sections i and back sections 3'. The front sections i are yieldingly joined to the extension h by means of elastic webbed front members 75. As indicated in Fig. 1 the upper portions of these members is are secured to the lower front part (Z of the brassiere by stitching the Web to the fabric.

The central portion of the rear of the brassiere consists of a plurality of strips of elastic webbing m which are secured to the fabric on each side of the rear by stitching along the sides of the back section. The ends of the webbing are covered by a strip of binding at best seen in Fig. 3 to give a neat finish to the article. The lower rear portion of the girdle has connected to it a webbed elastic member 0 the edge portions of which as shown in Fig. 3 are secured to the sides of the girdle sections j by sewing, while the ends are covered by a tape binding p stitched inthe fabric.

The waist portion of the garment is provided with a webbed elastic band q embracing the back and extending partly about the front with its ends secured to the upper side portions of the webbed members k, while a tape binding 7' as shown in Fig. 1, covers each end of the band. A series of vertically positioned webbed elastic straps 8 connect the front and back lower portions of the brassiere with the girdle. These straps have their upper and lower ends concealed or covered by the tape binding tas indicated in Fig. 3. The straps are superposed one being at the outside and the other at the inside, relative to the belt so as not to interfere with the tensioning of the belt and at the same time form a strong durable structure.

The brassiere and the girdle have darts u out in the fabric to gather and give the garment the correct shape to snugly. fit the figure.

The front of the girdle is stiffened by a series of flexible whalebones o to hold in the stomach and retain the shape of the forward lower portion of the garment. The front and rear portions of the girdle adjacent to the elastic strips of webbing alsohave whalebones to embedded in the fabric to give shape to the garment and coact with the figure. The lower ends of the front and rear part of the girdle have suspended therefrom a numberof garters m for holding stockings.

It will be readily understood that the brassiere will closely fit the body, thus holding the fleshy masses over the shoulderblades and keeping the busts in place. The

strips of elastic arranged along the back stretch when the lungs are expanded and hence do not retard breathing.

At the front the brassiere and the girdle injury to the organs during heavy exertion,

is obviated.

The waistline is kept supple and yielding by means of the elastic band while the vertical superposed straps of elastic stretch to take up any downward pull of the girdle in connection with the brassiere. In this construction the ends of the band q are fastened to the upper portion of the elastic members 73, the other parts of the band being unattached; the band will freely expand circumferentially independent of the elastic vertical straps. in other words the vertical straps furnish a yielding connection between the girdle and brassiere sections, with the band sliding between the straps, each pair being made to loop the face and back of the band. The girdle fits closely about the hips reaching some distance below the waist and the elastic members on each side of the front extension permit expansion of the chest without injuring the configuration or shape of the garment.

Another advantage of this device is that it has no steels and thereby gives free and unimpaired movement of the body when exercising.

As indicated in the drawing the band 9 will compensate for the expansion and contraction of the waist and adbomen, especially after any laborious exercise or exertion of the body. The elasticity of the band practically insures a snug fit at all times, also avoids gathering of fabric at the waist line, and prevents wrinkling of the upper and lower sections of the garment.

It will be readily understood that the series of vertical elastic straps s will ermit unrestricted movement of the c est and limbs of the body. In other words when stooping Or sitting down the straps will automatically adjust the girdle relative to the brassiere. Each strap has independent stretch or tension so that it will take up any movement of the chest, hip and thigh without impairing the graceful shape of the girdle and brassire.

We claim: I

1. In a garment of'the kind described. the combination with a brassiere, of a girdle extending from the lower portion of the brassiere, and an elastic connection between the brassiere and the girdle, said connection being elastic lengthwise of the garment.

2. In a garment of the kind described. the combination with a brassiere having elastic members disposed in the back thereof, of a girdle extending from the lower portion the hrassiere and adapted to girtic connections between the brassiere and girdle, and elastic members along the back of the brassiere and the back and front of the girdle.

5. in a garment of the kind described, the combination with a brassieraot a girdle extending from the lower portion of the brassiere, elastic strips between the brassiere and the girdle. and an elastic band free of said strips and adapted for circumferential expansion.

6. In a garment of the kind described, the combinationwith a brassiere, of a girdle extending from the lower portion of the hrassire'yielding member disposed along the back of the brassiere and front of the girdle, elastic strips connected to the lower edge of the brassiere and the upper edge of the girdle, and an elastic band between the brassiere and the girdle but free of the edges thereof and free of the strips, said band being connected to the garment at its ends only and being adapted for circumferential expansion.

lln testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

BIANCA PRINCE. HENRIETTA PRINCE.

' Witnesses CHRISTIAN H. ALMs'rAEDT, HAZEL V. REIDENBAOH.

homes of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressing; the Commissioner of Enteritis Washington, I G. 

